The Bellas are back, pitches.

OK first of all, i had no idea Elizabeth Banks directed and produced this highly anticipated sequel. My brain is still having trouble trying to process this information...

*spoilers ahead*

Last time we saw the Barden Bellas they were on a mission to take down their enemies The Treblemakers at Nationals. This time, the three-time defending US acapella champions, find themselves in hot water after Fat Amy's (Rebel Wilson) hilarious wardrobe malfunction infront of the president and the first lady. Muffgate causes sponsors to pull out of acapella events and a lot of bad press for the Barden Bellas, so the girls are forced to suspend all of their activities including recruiting new 'sisters'. 

Of course this little situation doesn't stop the Bellas, as they discover a loophole and a way to get themselves back on top. All they have to do is win the world championships in Copenhagen, something that no US team has ever done, which also means defeating their new rivals from Germany Das Sound Machine. 

Pitch Perfect 2 sees all all your favourite Bellas return: Fat Amy, Beca (Anna Kendrick) Stacie (Alexis Knapp), Chloe (Brittany Snow) whose purposely failed classes so she can stay in the Bellas, Lilly (Hana Mae Lee), Cynthia-Rose (Ester Dean) and brief appearances by Bumper (Adam DeVine), Jesse (Skylar Astin), Aubrey (Anna Camp), Gail (Elizabeth Banks), John (John Michael Higgins), and Benji (Ben Platt). We're also introduced to a brand new Bella Emily (Hailee Steinfield), her mum Katherine (Katey Sagal) a Bella Legacy and the frontman and woman for Das Sound Machine played by Birgitte Hjort Sørensen and Flula Borg. Members from The Green Bay Packers and Snoop Dogg make unexpected but hilarious cameos, with one of my favourite mashups being Beca and Snoop's remix of 'Winter Wonderland' for his christmas album. She gets this opportunity when she finally fulfils her dream of working at a record label. The label scenes provide a lot of humour, but i felt like they were only squished in to try tie up the Beca wanting to be a music producer story line. I was also disappointed that some of the sub-plots didn't have a satisfying close, one being the rivalry between the Bellas and Das Sound Macine. The one thing i did love during the (rushed) ending was the Bellas awesome girl power winning performance at the world championships which included another hand clapping routine (perhaps a tribute to the now iconic 'Cup Song') and a pretty catchy original song 'Flashlight'. 
The enormous success of Pitch Perfect must have put a lot of pressure on the writers and unfortunately, like most sequels, Pitch Perfect 2 just isn't as great as the original, with a lot of the humour this time round feeling a little too forced. Overall, Elizabeth Banks did a good job and i think fans will love the movie,  it is definitely worth checking out.

Pitch Perfect 2 is released nationwide May 15th!

K.
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